Blog Posts by Futuresource Analysts

Smart home had another year of fabulous growth as Futuresource estimates that shipments grew by 39% in 2018. This consumer electronics category is now worth more than $12bn globally and shipped over 100m devices in 2018. The industry is tackling some important challenges like interoperability, but lags in addressing issues that concern consumers an ...

In the three short years since Amazon launched Echo speakers, sales have exceeded 42m units, creating a new ‘smart speaker’ category that by September 2018 had clocked up over $6bn in retail sales. Additionally, Echo is now playing a major role in the rising deployment of voice assistants (VAs) in a wider range of devices. Futuresource Consulting’s ...

According to the latest research from Futuresource, global software spend across all gaming platforms (mobile, PC and console) is expected to reach $132 Billion in 2018. Whilst there is some overlap between the three platforms, they offer very different gaming experiences.
Mobile is the fastest growing and largest sector of the global video games ...

“Hearphones have truly changed my life” claims one review of Bose’s new generation of fashionable, customisable, ‘conversation-enhancing’ hearing aids. Thanks to a recent FDA approval for marketing the over-the-counter hearing aids, consumers both young and old are now able to purchase, program and control Bose’s ‘Hearphones’ on their own without t ...

The ongoing drive for ever-higher resolutions has been a familiar story in the world of video acquisition for many years. But, after IBC 2018, talking about the practical application of 8K is no longer taboo.
Japan’s state broadcaster, NHK, has long been the driving force behind 8K. Manufacturers have been committed to developing an ecosystem of p ...

Since the last Photokina two years ago, product innovation has dramatically increased, especially with regards to mirrorless cameras and lenses. In 2016, the industry and show buzz was all about the new category launches, including the Fujifilm entrance into medium format mirrorless. Now, two years later, Nikon, Canon and Panasonic have unveiled t ...

Mobile is the fastest growing sector of the global video games market and this year $54 billion will be spent on buying games, downloading additional content (DLC) and subscriptions. What is most staggering about mobile gaming is that in 2018 it will account for 42% of total worldwide video gaming spend, higher than both consoles and PC, but is dri ...

Apple’s September ‘Special’ event has once again come around, with a new line up of handsets and the Apple Watch Series 4. With the iPhone accounting for 64 cents on every dollar Apple made in revenue since its last September event, and wearables continually cited up as one of Apple’s fastest growing product segments, the event is key for the compa ...

Professional video acquisition is undergoing a revolution as the production industry takes advantage of the wide range of advanced camcorders and cameras at their disposal. The image quality available in contemporary products is far in excess of what was exclusive to just high-end TV and movie productions a decade ago, but the jump in quality and f ...

Alongside the usual topics of IP, 4K, HDR and IP, another trend was prevalent at NAB 2018, one that we fully expect to see explored at IBC this year: diversification.
The realities of the traditional broadcast/pay-TV industry mean that the potential of the market is limited. The business is changing. Cord-cutting, the rise of SVOD services such as ...

Here at Futuresource Consulting we deliver specialist research and consulting services, providing market forecasts and intelligence reports. Since the 1980s we have supported a range of industry sectors, which has grown to include: CE, Broadcast, Entertainment Content, EdTech and many more.